


I'd search forever to bring you home

by badwolf_doctor



Series: verse: The Promise Of Redemption [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Tam'len is grouchy, Theron gets to play hero for a change, as would anyone who'd been frozen in carbonite for five years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 02:25:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19820611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolf_doctor/pseuds/badwolf_doctor
Summary: His early Jedi training had taught him how to detach from emotions and do what was best for the job. But when Lana had told him she’d found Tam’len and she was going after him, he’d had no choice but to go with her. He needed to be there when the former Imperial Agent was rescued. How many times before had Tam’len show up at the eleventh hour to save him? He’d lost count long ago. If there was any chance of returning the favor, Theron had to take it.Theron goes with Lana to rescue Tam'len.





	I'd search forever to bring you home

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little AU thing that didn't quite fit in Synecdoche. I might write more for it later.

There were other things he should be doing now, instead of pacing the deck of a stolen shuttle; important spy things vital to the fledgling resistance. The job he’d been doing for the last 59 months, 1 day, 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 20 seconds was paramount if they were going to have any chance at defeating Zakuul and there were parts of the job that only he could do.

His early Jedi training had taught him how to detach from emotions and do what was best for the job. But when Lana had told him she’d found Tam’len and she was going after him, he’d had no choice but to go with her. He needed to be there when the former Imperial Agent was rescued. How many times before had Tam’len show up at the eleventh hour to save him? He’d lost count long ago. If there was any chance of returning the favor, Theron had to take it.

Theron needed to see with his own eyes that Tam’len was alive. It wouldn’t be enough to simply hear it from someone else. 1,825 days had passed since the day Theron’s whole world felt like it ended. Those first few days afterward, he hadn’t wanted to believe Tam’len was dead, because it was _Tam_ and somehow, he always managed to survive against all the odds. But there had been no proof. And then Arcann had attacked, and the hope that Tam’len was alive had fallen to the wayside like so many other things. Then when that hope had finally died, Theron had focused on surviving to ignore his grief and anger.

Even now, Theron wasn’t going to believe Tam’len was alive until the Chiss was in his arms. He couldn’t let his hopes get dashed like that again, or else all that grief and anger he’d been avoiding would consume him, and if that happened, he would be useless to the rebellion.

Getting into the palace of the so-called Eternal Emperor was easier than expected. Apparently, Arcann and Vaylin weren’t worried about intruders. They probably figured no one was brazen enough to simply walk in. But audacity was Theron’s specialty. The real trick would be getting out again—especially with Tam’len in tow. After five years in carbonite, carbonite poisoning was likely, not to mention hibernation sickness. Lana supposedly had a cure that would keep the poisoning from killing him, but it would still be a few days before Tam’len was in fighting shape. If they had to fight their way out of here, he wasn’t going to _have_ a few days.

Theron should have known things were going too smoothly. When had any mission he’d been on **ever** gone smoothly? The answer was never. Not once. It was always a fight, always a struggle.

Lana rounded a corner with him hot on her heels, heading down the hallway to where Arcann reportedly kept his _trophies_ when suddenly, sirens and flashing lights filled the dark and the silence.

“Go on,” Lana instructed, drawing her lightsaber and moving back to the door they had just come through. “I’ll hold off any guards—go find him and get him back here quickly.” Before he could rush off, Lana tossed him a capped syringe; this must be the cure she had spoken of.

Ok, he could do this. Go in, get Tam, get out again. Simple and easy. Taking a deep breath, Theron headed through the next door and went straight to the computer. Rifling through the various pods containing frozen figures, he finally found what he was looking for. He had to wonder, though, what kind of person kept rows and rows of frozen enemies in their palace?

A few more keystrokes and the pod slid open. As the figure inside began to defrost, Theron could make out familiar features. It was true, Tam’len _was_ alive.

The Chiss Agent collapsed to the floor, throwing his arms out in barely enough time to stop himself from colliding face first with the ground; either the poisoning or the hibernation sickness was slowing his reflexes a bit. Theron moved to Tam’s side in an instant, placing a hand on his shoulder and doing his best to ignore the coughing fit and the blood that stained blue lips and the floor. That was the result of carbonite poisoning. It was worse than Lana had said it would be; Theron hoped her cure would work. He couldn’t get Tam’len back only to lose him again. Tam’len had left in the middle of the night, leaving a holo-recording explaining Marr’s plan and his place in it. And telling Theron that he loved him. Theron had been angry at first. The first time somebody said that ‘l’ word to him, it shouldn’t have been over a video. And it shouldn’t have been before they went off to presumably get themselves killed. He wasn’t angry now, just relieved. There would be time for that later, providing they made it out in one piece.

Tam’len pushed himself into a kneeling position and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Hey,” Theron said softly. Tam’len didn’t respond, trying instead to push himself up to his feet. “Hey,” Theron said again a little more forcefully this time. “Tam, just take it easy for a minute.”

“Theron…” Tam’len’s voice was shaky and rough, but Theron could hear the relief and elation in it. Tam turned his head in Theron’s direction, and though he was looking at Theron, Theron got the impression the Chiss couldn’t _see_ him. Temporary blindness was part of the hibernation sickness; it would pass eventually…supposedly. It was just another potential complication in their escape plan.

“You can’t see me, can you?” Better to just ask.

Tam’len shook his head. “I’d still know you anywhere.”

Theron couldn’t hide the smile at Tam’len’s words. He moved his hand up to cup Tam’s cheek; the Chiss was clammy to the touch, that couldn’t be a good thing. “You look like shit.”

“I feel worse, I can assure you.” Tam’len replied with a soft chuckle.

“Well, I’ve got something to help you feel a bit better; I know how you feel about needles, so I wanted to warn you first.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, dearest.” Tam’len said.

Tam’len hissed in pain as Theron injected him with whatever concoction was in the syringe. After a few beats, Theron helped him to his feet.

“My eyesight is going to come back, right?” Tam’len asked.

“Yeah, it’s just hibernation sickness—it’ll pass. You just have to wait it out.” Theron explained.

“So, what you’re saying is I’m going to be useless in a fight. Great.” Tam’len sounded frustrated, his voice as unsteady as his legs.

“Are you ok?” Theron asked. It was a stupid question, he knew. Of **course** Tam’len wasn't ok, but it was all he could think to ask.

“I’m fine dearest, don’t worry about me.” Tam’len waved him off, taking a few shaky steps. When his legs gave out on him, Theron caught him by the arm.

“Let me help.” Theron offered.

Tam’len shook his head. “I can do this.”

Ugh, that stubborn bastard. Theron had almost forgotten how much Tam’len was terrified of being a burden. Any alien in Imperial Intelligence that wasn’t useful ended up dead. It had been ingrained in Tam since he was a child, and it made him _incredibly_ stubborn about accepting help. Theron didn’t let go of Tam’len’s arm.

“Tam,” he said. “Somehow, you’ve been there to help me when I needed it—rescued me more than once.” On Rishi, then again on Ziost, Tam’len had shown up to help him when all seemed lost.

“That’s what you do when you care about someone.” The Chiss answered predictably.

“ _Exactly_ , so how about just this once, you let **me** rescue _you &_?”

He’d thought he had lost Tam’len and now he’d miraculously gotten him back. Theron was going to do whatever it took to get them both out of here. There were a million things he wanted to say to Tam’len. Some things were angry, some things were soft; they were things he thought he’d never get to say and if Theron had to fight the entire army of Zakuul to get them both out of here so he _could_ say those things to Tam’len, then he would.

“Alright.” Tam’len must be feeling awful if he relented without a fight.

Theron slid one arm around Tam’s side, hand resting comfortably on the other agent’s waist.

“I’m sorry, Theron.” Tam’len said softly as the two walked. “I’m sorry for the way that I left, and for making you think I was dead.”

“Well, that last one wasn’t _entirely_ your fault. So, you’re forgiven for that one. But yeah, leaving in the middle of the night was a dick move and I reserve the right to be pissed off about it. When we get out of here and are safe, you’re getting an earful.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Theron could hear the smirk in Tam’len’s voice.

“Asshole,” Theron muttered.

“But I’m yours.” Tam’len replied.

They were in a dangerous place, surrounded by enemies and the whole world seemed to have fallen apart but right now, Theron felt like everything would work out in the end.


End file.
